Korean · dessert

Yaksik (Sweet Steamed Glutinous Rice with Jujube and Chestnut)

Yaksik (Sweet Steamed Glutinous Rice with Jujube and Chestnut) reads nutty 5.6, umami 5.3 and sweetness 5.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Korean dessert, about 7 hr 27 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.1 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.6 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.7 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 2.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Nutty 5.6 · Umami 5.3 · Sweetness 5.2 · Salinity 5.2 · Richness 3.7 · Funk & Ferment 2.9 · Earthy 2.5 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Floral 1.3 · Fruity 1.3 · Bitterness 0.8 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (11)

• sweet glutinous rice — 500 g
• dried jujubes — 60 g
• chestnuts — 100 g
• water — 60 g
• dark brown sugar — 120 g
• soy sauce — 60 g
• sesame oil — 55 g
• light corn syrup — 40 g
• ground cinnamon — 5 g
• salt — 3 g
• pine nuts — 40 g

Time & effort: about 7 hr 27 min (1 hr 27 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 152.9 kcal, 1.4 g protein, 8.1 g fat, 20.1 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

1. Soak the glutinous rice at least 4 hours, or overnight, and drain it 30 minutes in a sieve. Undersoaked chapssal steams hard in the centre and no amount of extra time fixes it once the sugar is in.
2. Simmer the jujube stones and any trimmings in the 60 ml of water for 10 minutes and strain; this small amount of dark, sweet liquid is the traditional colouring and is the reason a proper yaksik is amber-brown rather than the flat colour of sugar alone.
3. Line a steamer with a damp cloth, spread the drained rice on it and steam over high heat for 40 minutes, sprinkling the surface with a few tablespoons of water twice during the steaming and turning the rice over once with a paddle. The grains should be translucent and cooked through but still firm.
4. Tip the hot rice into a large bowl and add the brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice syrup, cinnamon, salt and the strained jujube liquid. Mix thoroughly with a wet paddle while everything is very hot, so the seasoning is absorbed rather than sitting on the surface, then fold in the jujube strips, chestnuts and half the pine nuts.
5. Return the mixture to the cloth-lined steamer and steam a second time for 30 minutes. The two-stage steaming is what makes yaksik: the first cooks the grain, the second drives the sugar and soy deep into it, and the rice darkens visibly between the two.
6. Press the hot mixture into an oiled tray to a depth of 3 cm, scatter the remaining pine nuts over the top and press them in, and leave to cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares or diamonds with a wet knife. Yaksik is eaten at Jeongwol Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year, and at weddings and birthdays; the name means medicine food, from the old use of honey as medicine.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Chikuzenni (Simmered Chicken and Root Vegetables) — Japanese
• Kiriboshi Daikon no Nimono (Simmered Dried Daikon Strips) — Japanese
• Miso-Glazed Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) — Japanese
• Hijiki no Nimono (Simmered Hijiki with Soybeans and Fried Tofu) — Japanese
• Kinpira Gobo (Braised Burdock and Carrot with Sesame) — Japanese

Keep reading: what nutty, umami, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.